A CELEBRATION of Chinese New Year will take place in Rugby town centre for the first time later this month.
The free celebration will take place in Market Place on Sunday January 26 between 11am and 4pm.
Visitors will be treated to traditional Chinese music, dance, crafts, food, face painting and lantern making, and will be invited to join in the parade.
There will be a full programme of music and dance, calligraphy, origami, face painting, lantern making and tea tasting.
The centrepiece of the day will be the procession, which will involve lion and dragon dancing, lanterns and drums. It will leave the Market Place around 11.30am.
The event is being organised by Rugby First in partnership with Rugby Borough Council and the Chinese Community Association.
Amy Zhang, one of the organisers, said: “The Chinese New Year celebrations are a very important annual celebration for the Chinese Community and I am really pleased that we have the opportunity to celebrate it with the wider community in the town centre.
“I have no doubt that the lanterns, colourful and enigmatic lion and dragon dancing, along with the brilliant music and dance will provide an amazing spectacle and fantastic atmosphere in the town centre.
“I would like to say a special thank you to the Chinese Communities, Rugby First, Rugby Borough Council and all those taking part for their support and enthusiasm in helping to bring this event to life for the first time in Rugby town centre. Finally, I would like to wish everyone a Happy Chinese New Year.”
Linda Lowne, Rugby First Business Director, said: “It’s fantastic that Rugby town centre is going to host its first official Chinese New Year celebrations and I want to extend a special thanks to all those involved.
“The music and dance programme along with some traditional Chinese crafts looks amazing and I personally can’t wait to see the lion and dragon dancing.
“The Chinese community in Rugby and the surrounding area continues to grow and we are looking forward to welcoming visitors from Coventry, Warwick and Leamington, many of whom are university students, to the town centre which can only be good news for the local economy.”
Chinese New Year marks the start of the lunar calendar and is the most important holiday in Chinese culture, featuring family reunions, festive decorations, and traditional customs that date back thousands of years.
The 15-day celebration includes practices like giving red envelopes filled with money, lighting fireworks to ward off evil spirits, and enjoying symbolic foods that represent good fortune and prosperity.
In the Chinese calendar, each year is associated with a specific animal, and 2025 is the year of the snake. The snake is a symbol of wisdom, and people born this year will be embraced by intelligence and creativity.
Visit www.rugbyfirst.org for more information on the festival and the full programme of events.
